In the wake of a state audit, a criminal probe, a whistleblower lawsuit and an investigation by private citizens, the former mayor of Texarkana has concluded that he and other city directors were rooked.

Contractors have filed $300,000 in liens against the Arkansas Convention Center in Texarkana, Ark., owned by Hiren Patel, who's building the project with incentives championed by ousted, then re-hired, City Manager Harold Boldt.

It was the best of times; it was the worst of times - but mostly the latter. In the mid-2000s, Texarkana's economy was slumping, and city leaders were searching for ways to prod it back to life. What ensued was a development race yielding two convention c